Ayumi's Happy Household
by Sgamer82
Summary: Written for Poirot Cafe's Prompt Exchange #11: A fluff fic where Conan and Haibara are almost like parents for the Detective Boys. (ONE-SHOT)


_**Detective Conan**_  
 _ **Ayumi's Happy Household**_  
by  
sgamer82

"Would you like more tea, dear?" Mother asked.

"Indeed I would," said Father's voice from behind his newspaper. "How are your studies progressing, Daughter?"

"Quite well, Father," replied the Daughter happily. "So well I'm even helping Little Brother with his studies, right?"

"Y-Yes, Ayumi-ch-I mean-"

Mitsuhiko Tsubaraya was too slow catching his slip. Much slower than Ayumi Yoshida, who now had her face right next to his and was glaring.

"Mitsuhiko-kun, I'm not 'Ayumi-chan', remember? I'm 'Onee-chan' right now!

She huffed and put her hands on her hips.

"I'm the Big Sister and I'm in middle school." Ayumi pointed to the middle school sailor uniform blouse she wore. It was her mother's and so large on the first grade girl her arms barely poked out of the short sleeves.

"You're the Little Brother in grade school," Ayumi continued, pointing at Mitsuhiko's schoolbag and the recorder she had given him. "Genta-kun is the Baby Brother."

"Goo," Genta Kojima said with a lack of enthusiasm that was normally Ai Haibara's forte. He had actually called the role of Baby himself, to the confusion of everyone else. That confusion lasted until they all realized that, as the Baby, all Genta had to actually do to satisfy Ayumi was sit there and make baby noises. Neither Conan, Haibara, nor even Mitsuhiko were happy about Genta apparently one upping them, even if it did spare them that particular role.

"And Ai-chan and Conan-kun are the Mom and Dad." Ayumi gestured to Conan Edogawa and Ai Haibara. He held a newspaper over his face, specifically the comics since that was the section Ayumi deemed most important when getting the paper for the game, and in his mouth he had a bubble pipe Ayumi had managed to scrounge up. Haibara wore a pink apron sized for a child. It was Ayumi's, worn when she helped her parents cook, and provided as a prop for their game.

Genta was the only one without a costume or prop. It wasn't for lack of trying. Conan's, Mitsuhiko's, and Haibara's annoyance at Genta somehow figuring out how to avoid participating became amusement when Ayumi apologized for not being able to find the box of her old baby things her parents kept. Genta went from smug to horrified as the realization that he only just dodged a bonnet dawned on him.

"Ayumi-chan sounds a lot better," Conan remarked from behind the newspaper as he listened to the girl scold her "little brother".

"Much more energetic, at least," Haibara replied, adjusting a strap of her apron. "As much as none of the rest of us wanted to play House, it certainly lifted her spirits."

Ayumi had needed that lifting. Ayumi had actually been excited that week at school because her father had been expected home from a business trip that weekend and had promised to spend all Sunday with her. That was before bad weather had delayed him until Monday. She had been in a uncharacteristic stupor since finding out. Ayumi was so depressed her mother had taken it upon herself contact the Detective Boys' families and invite her friends to come play in the hopes of cheering her daughter up.

When the Detective Boys had come, Ayumi had been lying in her bed, under the covers, and refusing to come out. It has taken a lot of coaxing and a promise to play anything Ayumi wanted to get her to come out. That promise had then required confirmation multiple times before Ayumi named the game she wanted to play. As Haibara said, none of them were happy with Ayumi's desire to play House. For her sake, though, they all went along with it.

"Are you going to spend the entire game hiding behind that paper?" Haibara asked.

"You'd be surprised how easy it is to get away with," Conan said.

"I'm more surprised you know how easy it is to get away with," Haibara replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Remember who I grew up with," said Conan. "This is hardly the first time I've played House. Sonoko always made Ran and I play Wife and Husband."

"Not that either of you minded, I'm sure." Haibara smirked.

"Not really." Conan smiled, then looked at Haibara. "How about you?"

"When I was small." Haibara gestured to the Detective Boys. "Even younger than them. Onee-chan would let me play along with her friends." Haibara rolled her eyes. "It seemed innocuous enough that I told Yoshida-san while she got everything prepared; along with the fact that, given how _much_ younger I was, I never got to play even an older sibling. She thought that quite unfair."

"So that's how you got the apron," Conan remarked.

"Indeed it is. I had expected her to want the role of Wife, but Yoshida-san said I could have it; which reminds me." Haibara cleared her throat and turned to Ayumi. "Daughter, that is no way to speak to your brother."

"Indeed," Conan said, making his voice sound deeper as he spoke. "I think you've scolded him enough."

"Okay," Ayumi said. Mitsuhiko have Conan and Haibara a grateful look.

The game went on like this for another half hour before everyone heard the doorbell ring. The children paid it no attention as Ayumi's mother answered it. A few minutes later, the door to Ayumi's bedroom opened and everyone heard a barely contained squeal of delight.

"Ran-neechan!" Ayumi squealed herself.

At the door stood Ran Mouri, a big smile on her face as she took it the scene before her. She knelt down in front of Ayumi.

"I was passing by and thought I'd come visit. Your mom said you'd been feeling down.

"Yeah." Ayumi's head sank as her depression came back, only to shoot right back up. "But it's okay now! Everyone came over. We're playing House!"

"I see that," Ran said. "It takes me back. Shinichi, Sonoko, and I played House all the time when we were little."

"You did?" Ayumi asked. Ran nodded.

"We did. Sonoko always made me be the Mom because she didn't want to be Shinichi's wife. Shinichi would spend all the game reading a newspaper."

"Like Conan-kun!" Ayumi said. Immediately after she said the words Ayumi's expression became thoughtful. "Ran-neechan, you and Shinichi-niichan were always the Mom and Dad?'

"That's right," Ran asked. Her face had a look of confusion in it.

" _Every_ time?" Ayumi asked, emphasizing the word "every".

Ran nodded.

Ayumi looked to Ran, then to Conan, then to Ran again. Everyone in the room watched this display in confusion.

"What is she doing?" Conan whispered to Haibara. Haibara smirked at him.

"I think she's connecting the dots," Haibara said. She had already reached behind her back and started undoing the knot securing the apron when Ayumi walked up and whispered something to her, clapping her hands together apologetically as she did.

With Haibara's nod of approval, Ayumi pulled off the uniform top she had been wearing over her clothes and traded it for Haibara's apron. Haibara put the sailor shirt on and helped Ayumi tie the apron.

"Thanks, Ai-chan," Ayumi said. "I'm sorry, I know you said-"

"It's fine," Haibara waved Ayumi's concern away with grave seriousness. "It seems playing a child is to be my lot in life." She gave Ayumi a grin. "On the other hand, I never got to be a middle schooler before."

Apron secured and relieved that her best friend wasn't upset, Ayumi say herself on the floor right next to an increasingly embarrassed Conan-kun. Ran had a huge smile on her face at the sight. So did Haibara, though Conan suspected it was for entirely different reasons than Ran. Mitsuhiko and Genta looked far less pleased at this development.

"Goo…" Genta said.

"Now, now," Haibara admonished. "Watch your tone when speaking to Father."

Ayumi snuggled as close to Conan as she could, even as Conan tried to push her away to a more comfortable distance.

"Do you have to get so close, Ayumi-chan?"

"This is how my mom and dad are," Ayumi said. "The neighbors call them 'Eternal Newlyweds'."

Conan and Haibara looked at one another. Ran also coughed nervously to herself.

"I don't know what they mean by that," Ayumi went on, oblivious to the others' reactions as she rested her head on Conan's shoulders like her parents did when they watch movies together. Ran thought it was adorable, Haibara thought it was funny and, while Conan was quite uncomfortable and Mitsuhiko and Genta were quite unhappy, none of the boys could bring themselves to stop her.

After her depression earlier that day, nobody was about to wipe the smile off Ayumi Yoshida's face.


End file.
